BMW E46 330i with LS3 V8 Could Be Your Dream Car

The BMW 3 Series is and probably will remain the most successful model the Germans ever made. With sales in the millions, the 3er is …

The BMW 3 Series is and probably will remain the most successful model the Germans ever made. With sales in the millions, the 3er is the bread and butter of BMW if you will. Unfortunately though, we couldn’t get a V8 throughout its six generations. Of course, this doesn’t include M cars but even then, the V8 architecture was only used on one generation. Therefore, could this BMW E46 330i be the car you’ve been dreaming about all these years?

The guys from Bring a Trailer recently found a BMW E46 330i fitted, not with the M54 engine straight six engine we all know but instead, with a GM LS3 V8 sourced from a 2007 Cadillac Escalade of all cars. Imagine having the power to move a behemoth like the Escalade on a BMW E46 sedan and then you can probably grasp how fast this thing is.

The gearbox also had to be replaced with a Borg Warner one to make sure it handles the extra torque. Since we’re talking figures, the seller claims that this thing now has 459 hp and 414 lb-ft of torque (561 Nm) which should be enough to put most cars on the road to shame. However, those power figures were obtained by adding a couple of interesting add-ons to the mix. The V8 now has exhaust valves with hollow stems to allow for a higher redline, a Z06 Corvette-sourced oil cooler, and an oil pan with added baffling.

The suspension was also changed a bit, with TC Kline dampers being used at the moment while the brakes are now sourced from StopTech. At the back you’ll find a limited slip differential coming from an E46 M3 so if you’re into drifting and can afford the tires, this thing will surely raise to the expectations. The gauges all work with the exception of the fuel consumption readout which is rather useless anyway considering the 6.2-liter V8 hiding under the hood. The car is located in Plymouth, Michigan and has an asking price of $27,000.